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Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist
Bernardino Luini (Italian (Milanese), active in 1512, died in 1532)
1515–25
Medium/Technique
Oil on panel
Dimensions
62.23 x 51.43 cm (24 1/2 x 20 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Walter Scott Fitz
Accession Number21.2287
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsPaintings
The Bible recounts how King Herod, captivated by the dancing of his stepdaughter, Salome, offered her any reward. At her mother’s urging, Salome requested the head of John the Baptist, who had criticized her mother’s marriage. During the Renaissance, John’s head on a platter was widely understood to be a symbol for the Host, or sacramental bread in the Christian ritual of the Eucharist. Luini executed several paintings of Salome with the head of the Baptist where the beautiful faces belie the brutal violence of decapitation. The technique of contours blurred by delicate shadows and the specific facial types reveal the strong influence of Leonardo da Vinci.
ProvenanceBy 1845, acquired in Vienna by Paolo Marulli d'Ascoli (b. 1766 - d. 1846), Naples [see note 1]; 1846, by inheritance to his nephew, Sebastiano Marulli d'Ascoli (b. 1793 - d. 1866); by inheritance within the family to his great-grandson, Sebastiano Troiano Marulli d'Ascoli (b. 1867 - d. 1917), Duke of Ascoli and Prince of Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, Naples [see note 2]; about 1917, sold by his son, Trojano Marulli d'Ascoli (b. 1899 - d. 1952), Naples, to Elia Volpi (dealer; b. 1858 - d. 1938), Florence [see note 3]; 1921, probably sold by Volpi to Henrietta Goddard Wigglesworth (Mrs. Walter Scott Fitz, b. 1847 - d. 1927), Boston, for the MFA. (Accession Date: October 20, 1921)
NOTES:
[1] Documented in his collection in Napoli e i Luoghi Celebri delle sue Vicinanze, vol. 2 (Naples, 1845), p. 338, where it is attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Many thanks to Paolo Amerigo Marulli di San Cesario Carniglia (correspondence with the MFA, February 2020), according to whom the painting was acquired in Vienna.
[2] Luca Beltrami, Luini, 1512-1532 (Milan, 1911), p. 566, records the painting (attributed to Leonardo da Vinci) as being in the Duke of Ascoli collection. The Gazzetta Ufficiale del Regno d'Italia (December 21, 1903), p. 5682, lists the painting (attributed to Luini) in the collection of Sebastiano Marulli, Duke of Ascoli.
[3] According to Paolo Amerigo Marulli di San Cesario Carniglia (as above, note 1). Marilena Tamassia, Collezioni d'arte tra Ottocento e Novecento: Jacquier fotografi a Firenze 1870-1935 (Naples, 1995), p. 224, no. 51517, notes that the painting was at one time with Volpi.
NOTES:
[1] Documented in his collection in Napoli e i Luoghi Celebri delle sue Vicinanze, vol. 2 (Naples, 1845), p. 338, where it is attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Many thanks to Paolo Amerigo Marulli di San Cesario Carniglia (correspondence with the MFA, February 2020), according to whom the painting was acquired in Vienna.
[2] Luca Beltrami, Luini, 1512-1532 (Milan, 1911), p. 566, records the painting (attributed to Leonardo da Vinci) as being in the Duke of Ascoli collection. The Gazzetta Ufficiale del Regno d'Italia (December 21, 1903), p. 5682, lists the painting (attributed to Luini) in the collection of Sebastiano Marulli, Duke of Ascoli.
[3] According to Paolo Amerigo Marulli di San Cesario Carniglia (as above, note 1). Marilena Tamassia, Collezioni d'arte tra Ottocento e Novecento: Jacquier fotografi a Firenze 1870-1935 (Naples, 1995), p. 224, no. 51517, notes that the painting was at one time with Volpi.